PARIS: Grigor Dimitrov eased into the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters on Thursday with a straightforward 6-2, 6-2 victory over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan.
Dimitrov, the world number 17, showed little sign of the effects of his three-hour win against third seed Daniil Medvedev on Wednesday as he dispatched Bublik in just over an hour.
The 32-year-old Bulgarian reached the semifinals of the Masters 1000 event in Shanghai in October.
He will face either Hubert Hurkacz, the world number 11 from Poland, or Argentinian Francisco Cerundolo in the last eight in the French capital.
It will be the first time since 2019 that Dimitrov has reached the quarterfinals in the Paris indoor event. That year he was beaten in the semifinals by eventual winner Novak Djokovic.
Andrey Rublev also moved into the last eight, beating Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands 6-3, 6-3.
The Russian has already qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin later this month.
In Wednesday’s late action, world number one Djokovic got off to a solid start in his quest for a record-extending seventh Paris Masters title with a resounding 6-3, 6-2 win over Tomas Etcheverry in the second round.
The Serb, who was playing his first singles match since the Davis Cup six weeks ago, has strengthened his grip at the top of the rankings, taking a 580-point lead over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, who exited the tournament on Tuesday.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner made only nine unforced errors and did not drop serve throughout the match as he beat the Argentine world number 31 in one hour and 23 minutes.
“I am pleased .... Some parts of the match were really good, others losing the rhythm. But I think it is normal to be rusty a little bit after not playing an official match for so long,” the 36-year-old Djokovic said.
He will next play Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor.
World number three Medvedev lost to Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(2).
The Russian denied making an obscene gesture towards the crowd, who had booed him earlier, after losing the heated second-round clash.
Medvedev walked off court at the end of the match examining his hand before pointing his middle finger at the stands.
Greek seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-3, 7-6(4) and will next face Alexander Zverev after the German dug deep to beat Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-4, 6-7(3), 7-6(5).
American Tommy Paul’s hopes of making the ATP Finals ended when the 12th seed lost to qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-4, 2-6, 6-3, while 13th seed Alex de Minaur of Australia remained in contention for a spot at the tournament in Turin by beating Dusan Lajovic 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. — Agencies
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
